IAmA Lucid Dreaming Expert Who Teaches People To Control Their Dreams. I founded HowToLucid.com and the YT channel 'Lucid Dreaming Experience' which recently hit 115K subscribers. I teach people how to become self aware in their dreams, and contro...

You mention that "Lucid dreaming was proven several times by science" - I'd be interested in seeing/reviewing the papers and such around that research - can you provide links to said research?

Sure, here's one: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2737577/

Thank you.

You're welcome! Any other question?

Not at the moment - to be honest I'm skeptical but I'm willing to be open minded enough to review the research and draw an informed conclusion rather than just off hand dismiss.

I understand that. I think it's a very unusual area to say the least. Not everyone has heard of it! you should 100% learn more about it though!

I intend on doing just that. GL with the IAmA!

Awesome! And thank you, good luck lucid dreaming!

Hi, how is sleep paralysis connected to lucid dreaming, if at all?

Sleep paralysis is in many ways connected to lucid dreaming. The thing is, when we dream, every night, we HAVE sleep paralysis. We just aren't aware of it most of the time but it's a really, really good thing.

Without it, we'd be physically acting out our dreams and probably would have seriously injured ourselves many times in the night by now. some people sadly don't get it, and instead experience sleep walking and movement, which often results in injuries! So it's a really good thing. The reason it's linked to lucid dreaming is that many lucid techniques involve keeping your MIND awake during the 'falling asleep' process.

So you become acutely aware of the sensation and actually feel it. If you were to try and MOVE while it's happening, of course, you wouldn't be able to move, which is the sleep paralysis mechanism doing it's job.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_paralysis

there is a difference between the normal loss of control and what is usually understood as sleep paralysis.

The definition is a bit blurry. Sleep paralysis is technically becoming AWARE of that normal loss of control. The reason I refer to them as more or less the same thing, is because the loss of control happens naturally. It's normal, and nothing to be scared of

Did that answer the question or is there something else you want me to answer?

You've mentioned that you've had lucid dreams that have changed your outlook on life. Can you be more specific? Can you give some examples of dreams you've had, or dreams others have had, that have changed them, and what that change was?

I'd was about to ask this as well. All of your comments are more or less the same. Can you give real life examples here, to make it seem less scammy.

I've had several lucid dreams that have been very interesting to say the least, and I would say life changing.

I won't go into too many details about the specifics because it's of course, very personal and relates to my insecurities, fears and deepest desires. This is of course not something I want all over the internet.

Long story short though, through lucid dreaming I've been able to DIRECTLY talk to the part/s of my mind that are my various fears or insecurities, and actively talk to and interact with them, in a lucid state. This has allowed me to remove certain fears almost entirely, from my mind,

Sounds crazy, and of course there's no way I can prove that particular aspect of it, but this is something people do with lucid dreaming. It's more common however, that people just experience 'physical' things like sex or flying.

Just to clarify, do you mean examples of what people in general can do with lcuid dreaming, or what I personally have DONE with lucid dreaming? :)

Are you asking what your means?

I've had several lucid dreams that have been very interesting to say the least, and I would say life changing.

I won't go into too many details about the specifics because it's of course, very personal and relates to my insecurities, fears and deepest desires. This is of course not something I want all over the internet.

Long story short though, through lucid dreaming I've been able to DIRECTLY talk to the part/s of my mind that are my various fears or insecurities, and actively talk to and interact with them, in a lucid state. This has allowed me to remove certain fears almost entirely, from my mind,

Sounds crazy, and of course there's no way I can prove that particular aspect of it, but this is something people do with lucid dreaming. It's more common however, that people just experience 'physical' things like sex or flying.

I've had several lucid dreams that have been very interesting to say the least, and I would say life changing.

I won't go into too many details about the specifics because it's of course, very personal and relates to my insecurities, fears and deepest desires. This is of course not something I want all over the internet.

Long story short though, through lucid dreaming I've been able to DIRECTLY talk to the part/s of my mind that are my various fears or insecurities, and actively talk to and interact with them, in a lucid state. This has allowed me to remove certain fears almost entirely, from my mind,

Sounds crazy, and of course there's no way I can prove that particular aspect of it, but this is something people do with lucid dreaming. It's more common however, that people just experience 'physical' things like sex or flying.

I've always thought lucid dreaming sounded interesting, but to be honest, this answer really comes off almost like someone trying to get me to join an MLM.

Hahaha sorry about that. It's hard to answer questions like this, without either being vague, or just directly sharing really personal details about my specific dreams.

I've talked to people who lucid dreamed once or twice and were able to describe at least something. Are you able to fly in your dreams? Are you able to speak another language? What are the limits you've experienced? The way you answer here makes you sound more like a mystic than anything. I'm puzzled why you came to do an ask me anything about lucid dreaming but won't give us any solid answers on your experiences. We don't expect you to tell us what you learned but a little insight into what you've been able to accomplish with it (something like the impossible as I mentioned above, flying) might spark interest rather than disdain for your ambiguous answers.

Fair point. I've had dreams where I've flown at the speed of light, become various animals, and even become an ant in a huge underground colony. I was able to see scent trails and connect with the other ants in the tribe.

In other lucid dreams, I've been able to teleport to other planets and interact with strange 'light colored' beings that seemed to know what I was going to say before I said it, and would respond with a vibrating sort of hum.

are you interested/knowedlible about shamanism? this self healing is really interesting to me. Ive considered maybe shaman states go through what you describe, which could be incredibly healing.

do you think lucid dreaming could help more people with their fears and mental states?

I believe lucid dreams can and do change peoples lives in a really important and meaningful way. I've personally had many lucid dreams that have had a lasting impact and changed something or many things about my life and outlook. I think it's almost always positive, as well.

I think the topic of the lucid dreams however, does in a few ways, depend on the person. Some people just want to have sex dreams, or dreams about things that won't really contribute much to your personal and spiritual growth.

So you have zero educational qualifications and just make up shit as you go?

Not at all. There's a large body of research that's been done on the subject, and I've been teaching it for over 10 years.

Can you share some examples of those studies that claim lucid dreaming is a thing?

Not trying to be belligrent, I'm genuinely curious.

Lucid dreaming was proven several times by science. There were studies where they would track a persons eye movements in sleep.

They’d tell the person to lucid dream or try to, and then move their eyes in a pre determined sequence. Because in a lucid dream, when you look around or move your eyes in the dream, they move int he same direction in waking life, behind your eyelids.

So they were able to track their eye movements, proven that they were lucid dreaming and DECIDING to move their eyes in the pre determined way.It’s a very popular experience that many people all around the world enjoy.

Most people have already had one or more lucid dreams, and they just didn’t know it was called ‘lucid dreaming’. Whenever I talk about it to people in my travels, I describe what it is, and they say ‘ohhhhh yes I’ve had a few dreams like that!’.

Here's a post I wrote a while back, summarising and explaining the various studies and research that's been done: https://howtolucid.com/lucid-dreaming-research/

For what university? What’s your doctorate in?

The idea that one needs to study something at university in order to know it or be considered an expert, is wildly, wildly outdated. there are very few careers that you MUST go to university to pursue.

So no formal education and no one peer reviewing your “studies”. Seems legit.

I haven't conducted any studies. Lucid dreaming has been proven by numerous studies thoughout history. I TEACH and share lucid dreaming. I haven't studied it in a lab, if that's what you mean. That's already been done

Your unedited comment literally said “I’ve done studies”. And there’s actual real professors studying and publishing work on sleep/dreams at major universities like Matthew Walker who was recently on Rogan. So anyone reading this check them out, not some guy who has clickbait YouTube video thumbnails that say “LUCID DREAM SEX” with a pic of a guy and a girl in bed.

Nowhere in my comments did I say I've done studies on lucid dreaming. Also, I don't NEED to have done studies in order to learn a lot about it and become an expert.

Just like you wouldn't demand to see an athlete or a motivational speakers 'studies' that they've done. Lucid dreaming has already been proven to exist many times.

Hope this makes sense!

Is this something like "how to be a psychic"? Are there any science related studies on that topic?

Lucid dreaming was proven several times by science. There were studies where they would track a persons eye movements in sleep.

They’d tell the person to lucid dream or try to, and then move their eyes in a pre determined sequence. Because in a lucid dream, when you look around or move your eyes in the dream, they move int he same direction in waking life, behind your eyelids.

So they were able to track their eye movements, proven that they were lucid dreaming and DECIDING to move their eyes in the pre determined way.It’s a very popular experience that many people all around the world enjoy.

Most people have already had one or more lucid dreams, and they just didn’t know it was called ‘lucid dreaming’. Whenever I talk about it to people in my travels, I describe what it is, and they say ‘ohhhhh yes I’ve had a few dreams like that!’.

Is this possible for people who do not see clear images when closing their eyes? (If you know what i mean). I mean learing how to lucid dream

Did that answer the question or is there something else you want me to answer?

Yes, thanks for the elaborate answers

No problem! Comment if you have any more questions. How many lucid dreams have you had out of interest?

Yes, anyone can learn. Will everyone learn? No. Because it takes a fair bit of time and effort. There are skills you have to learn like doing reality checks, meditating, writing your dreams down and being critical of your surroundings.

These skills like any skills, take time to hone and perfect. Not every is WILLING to practice them, especially when you can just buy a VR headset, and skip the learning phase entirely.

That being said, lucid dreams are WAY more intense and incredible than a VR headset, so it’s still well worth learning!

People who have trouble visualising things, might find it a bit harder than most.

Also if you’re not sleeping well, for example you have a disorder that means you get significantly less REM sleep than the average person, you’ll also find it harder. Not impossible, just harder.

Kids and young people have it easiest, because their sleep cycles and patterns are still relatively healthy and normal (assuming you’re not staying up until 3AM etc).

It’s interesting to read that there is a connection. I’ve had trouble with sleep paralysis for as long as I can remember, although it only happens once a month or so. I’ve found it relatively easy to lucid dream, but never thought that the two could be connected. I’ll check out your channel. It was something that I used to be able to do better ten years or so back when I was actively ‘trying’ and it would be good to get in to it again. It always seemed to be something that I could do only when I spend a bit of time thinking about doing it when I was falling asleep. EDIT: sorry, this was in response to the sleep paralysis question, posted accidentally in this thread

Glad it helped! And thank you :)

I'm going to be online all day today, answering questions! Don't be shy

Is it safe?

Lucid dreaming is no more dangerous than just sleeping like normal. All you’re really doing is waking up part of your mind in your dreams. There’s no real danger there, except the possibility to ‘false memories’. this doesn’t happen to everyone who tries to lucid dream, but it does happen to some people.

If you’re lucid a lot, and this is really not a beginner problem at all, you can create ‘false memories’. This is where you’re having so many lucid dreams, that some of them end up being about ‘normal’ every day situations. Maybe conversations with people you know.

So then, in the future, it’s hard to tell those lucid dreams apart from real memories of conversations you’ve had with people you know. Unless of course, you write them all down in a dream journal, which you should! But not everyone does that, every morning.

But for the vast majority of people, this is literally never an issue. You either won’t lucid dream OFTEN enough, or when you do lucid dream, you’ll be doing things that are very unusual. Things you couldn’t possibly have done in real life, like flying or exploring alien planets.

Did that answer the question or is there something else you want me to answer?

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I hope the proofs I linked to are sufficient :)

Is there anyway to stop dreaming?

If you want to stop lucid dreaming, that’s simple. Like any skill really, you either use it or lose it.

If you stop writing down your dreams and practicing your reality checks you’ll just stop lucid dreaming. It’s a skill which you need to put constant attention and focus into.

The more common problem is that you can’t lucid dream to begin with. I’m not sure why someone would want to stop though, because it’s really not a bad experience at all. I mean, you can decide what the experience is going to be, so you could just decide to dream about something you like!

I meant dreaming altogether, including wet dreams. For religious purposes

Please elaborate? I'm not aware of any religious practice that aims to prevent dreaming. In fact, that's impossible. We all dream every single night, to prevent that would mean to prevent you from sleeping forever, which is of course equally impossible

I'm an engineer and many times when I have a particular design or analysis problem, I go to bed thinking about it and dream a great solution. This happens fairly frequently, but I would really like to consistently do this. Does this sound like an application for lucid dreaming? What specific things can I do to train and learn to do this all the time and more consistently remember all parts of the dreams?

Yes! In fact, you can use it get answers to specific questions or problems you're pondering.

To improve your dream recall, that is, to remember more dreams, there's a few things you should really do:

1: Just start writing them down every single morning, if you're not already doing this. Spending the extra few minutes to really TRY and remember them, makes a big difference as well

2: Ask your subconscious mind (while lucid) to help you remember more dreams

3: Try and lucid dream mainly in the last part of the night, when your REM sleep stage is the longest. You can do this by using phone alarms to target it, or just by intending to lucid dream at that time

4: Go back over your previous dream journal entries in the evening,and get yourself in the mindset of lucid dreaming every night!

5: Set the strong intention to remember your dreams! Tell yourself 'I will remember my dreams tonight'.

That's a pretty good place to get started!

Would you recommend it to everyone?

I would say yes, everyone should learn! It has so many benefits, it wold be silly to not learn. Especically when learning how to do it really isn't that difficult.

You can learn the basic skills by watching a few youtube videos, and then start practicing them tonight! There are really no people I would say should NOT learn how to lucid dream.

I was beyond expert level at this in college years ago. The problem with lucid dreaming, never addressed by the pushers, is that the more you do it, the more you are worn out in real life. You trade your waking life for your sleeping life. Flying and sex are fun, and the visuals are intense, but in the end it is all mental masterbation. Because you are conscious, you gain no more insights than if you were actually awake.

In terms of if making you 'more tired', you'll feel just as well rested as a normal dream or a normal nights sleep. The only difference is that if you're trying lucid dreaming techniques like the WBTB (wake back to bed), then you'll be interrupting your sleep. This can make you feel more tired the next day, but it's nothing to worry about.

You can simply try a different technique if you find that you're feeling tired because of the WBTB method.

It sounded more like they meant you'd tire of the real world and all it's problems, when you can access a customizable utopia every night. Who would want to stay here when you could escape into your mind?

Well, it depends. the world and 'real life' is an amazing place too. I think a lot of lucid dreamers bring back that motivation and excitment into the waking world, and use it to do incredible things.

Can you recommend the top 3 videos you think would be good to start with?

The best tutorial videos I think you should start with are:

This one first (teaches everything you'll need, basics, how it works, techniques and tips): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPOD3Khe8Xg

Top 20 things to try in lucid dreams (Gives inspiration and motivates you): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqmZUyDkXQo

Making lucid dreaming easier: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4M3ado0TzE

But there are lots of videos. Check my channel for more because I have probably over 400 tutorials and Q and A style videos about lucid dreaming now!

Did that answer the question or is there something else you want me to answer?

Sometimes I suspect I’m dreaming so I pinch myself, then I feel it. I even remember one time I pinched myself in multiple spots but felt it every time. Why am I able to feel it?

Another question is how do you stay asleep after realizing? I tend to wakeup shortly after.

Pain in a dream is a very interesting thing. In a dream, it FEELS very real. So if you pinch yourself or do something physical like that in a dream, of course it's going to feel real.

It's not really hurting you, it just seems like it is. In fact much of the physical 'pain' we feel in waking life is in the mind. Only a percentage of it is actual nerve endings being activated.

This is why in extreme situations, you see someone getting an injury and only when they SEE the injury do they start to feel the pain. A large part of it is in your mind and so you can feel pain in a dream, but it's not harming you. Hope that makes sense!

Haha awesome next time I figure out I’m dreaming I’ll try to remember to become a temporary masochist and commit seppuku.

Oh wow haha! Maybe try some other things as well though?

Did that answer the question or is there something else you want me to answer?

Do the concepts of reality checks and totems described in inception movie have any truth to them??

Totems, not SO much although they can be used. Reality checks however, are absolutely critical to lucid dreaming, and must be practiced, yes

Hello, Stef. I was practicing lucid dreaming for 2 months and actually experienced lucid dream just 2 times, but they were really short (I woke up in a minute when I became self-aware)So, the question is - how to make them longer? I know that spinning around or engaging sensations can help, but I can't even remember it in time.

To make lucid dreams last longer, there are a number of things you can do. Firstly, realise that it's mainly a timing issue. Our REM sleep is the longest just before you wake up, so focus on trying to lucid dream THEN and not at the start of the night.

Then, always make sure to write your dreams down in the morning. This helps your brain WANT to remember them, in the future. To make them longer while you're in them, you can use stabilisation techniques like:

Spinning around on the spot Rubbing your hands together Shouting out 'increase dream length' Trying to engage with aspects of the dream or dream scene Expecting that the dream will last longer

And so on. Hope this helps!

Spinning does not work for me. I stopped trying that the very first time I felt it doing the opposite. For me, anchoring myself back into the dream body does the trick. I can extend a dream for a few minutes that way, but when it’s really time to go, there’s no fighting it. When I’m lucky, I pop right back onto another one after a few seconds.

Spinning doesn't work for everyone. It's a common one though, for sure.

In that case, asking the dream directly can really help. Get lucid, then shout out 'increase clarity'. Have you tried that?

What are the benefits of lucid dreaming?

I believe lucid dreams can and do change peoples lives in a really important and meaningful way. I've personally had many lucid dreams that have had a lasting impact and changed something or many things about my life and outlook. I think it's almost always positive, as well.

I think the topic of the lucid dreams however, does in a few ways, depend on the person. Some people just want to have sex dreams, or dreams about things that won't really contribute much to your personal and spiritual growth.

In terms of BENEFITS, I think there are many:

Increased confidence Increased creativity and inspiration Subjective but improved sleep (depends a bit) Avoid and guide nightmares into lucid dreams Understand more about your fears and insecurities Visualise and practice things Practice real life skills and actually improve Reunite with lost loved ones There are many benefits!

Did that answer the question or is there something else you want me to answer?

Is lucid dreaming like in Inception?

In some ways, yes

I had quite a lot of lucid dreams a few years ago, but I never felt fully rested the day after. Have others experienced this too?

I actually had to learn to lose control of my dreams again before I could get proper rest. To be fair, a lot happened in my mind back then, but losing control helped.

Usually, you'll feel just as well rested as a normal dream or a normal nights sleep. The only difference is that if you're trying lucid dreaming techniques like the WBTB (wake back to bed), then you'll be interrupting your sleep. This can make you feel more tired the next day, but it's nothing to worry about.

You can simply try a different technique if you find that you're feeling tired because of the WBTB method. The WBTB method is the main reason people have this myth that lucid dreaming makes you more tired. It really doesn't.

In fact, if you're just using natural techniques like the MILD or DILD, you won't wake up feeling any more tired than you would otherwise.

Hope this helps!

Thank you for the reply. I was mostly interested in knowing if this was a general thing, but cool to know that it can happen without interrupting your sleep.

Honestly, I actually like not having control on some parts of my life for once. It's freeing, but I definitely had fun with lucid dreaming back then, and it still happens once in a while.

You're welcome!

have you ever read this book? https://www.dropbox.com/s/21ey5221ub97tpb/3.5%20Tenzin-Wangyal-Rinpoche-The-Tibetan-Yogas-Of-Dream-And-Sleep.pdf?dl=0

"The tibetan yogas of dream and sleep"? I'd love to hear your thoughts on it.

Have you ever astroprojected? do you think when you die, if you stay present, maybe something cool would happen?

I have not read that, I'll check it out. And I have astral projected, yes. I've only done it about twice in my life, but seeing as science hasn't fully accepted that yet, I'm not able to do an AMA on the subject I don't think!

Hi can you lucid dream even if you smoke weed? Because In my experience weed stops me from dreaming and gives me black out sleep so just wondering...

Weed and other substances like it, suppress REM sleep. Alcohol is another one. This means although it's technically possible you could lucid dream, it's very unlikely while yo'ure taking those things.

Do you have any thoughts on dream interpretation?

For the most part, your dreams mean what YOU understand them to mean. It depends on your personality, and your specific character traits, because although you can read an analysis of dream signs and meaning on the internet, it only means something if you can relate it to yourself.

Dream meaning is a very tricky subject, because dreams are so personal. Sure, I could tell you one thing: But whether that resonates with YOU is another matter.

Did that answer the question or is there something else you want me to answer?

I've read before, long ago, that doing "reality checks" such as attempting to push your finger through your palm, or reading a clock, looking away, and reading it again help one lucid dream. I believe the idea is that when these checks become habit, we do them in our dreams and realize something isn't right.

Can you speak to the accuracy of this, and if effective, what are some other daily habits that can help lucid dreaming?

Yes, reality checks work. They're very important actually.

For a beginner, your choices are several.

You could learn various techniques and methods, but really the best thing is to focus on the absolute basics first. This means things like reality checks, meditation, dream journalling and being critical of your surroundings. Look around you several times a day and REALLY question whether you’re dreaming or awake.

This takes some dedication because the default response is to just ‘assume’ you’re awake or that you already know. Pretend it’s like a game, and you’re REALLY trying to work out if you’re being fooled by a simulation or not. After a while, you’ll have a lucid dream.

It might take a few days, few weeks etc. It will happen, if you keep going with these habits. You can then also try a technique like the wake induced lucid dream or the wake back to bed, but for most beginners these don’t really help all that much. The main ‘technique’ is just self awareness and dream journalling. That will get you 80% of the way there!

I don’t have time or interest for meditation, is it still possible achieve a mastery in lucid dreaming?

It's possible, yes. Meditation helps but it's not ESSENTIAL in order to have a lucid dream.

Can you teach people that have no memory of dreaming(or are not dreaming) how to dream?

Yes, but it's not that they're not dreaming. All of us dream. It's about their dream recall.

To improve your dream recall, that is, to remember more dreams, there's a few things you should really do:

1: Just start writing them down every single morning, if you're not already doing this. Spending the extra few minutes to really TRY and remember them, makes a big difference as well

2: Ask your subconscious mind (while lucid) to help you remember more dreams

3: Try and lucid dream mainly in the last part of the night, when your REM sleep stage is the longest. You can do this by using phone alarms to target it, or just by intending to lucid dream at that time

4: Go back over your previous dream journal entries in the evening,and get yourself in the mindset of lucid dreaming every night!

5: Set the strong intention to remember your dreams! Tell yourself 'I will remember my dreams tonight'.

That's a pretty good place to get started!

I have a daughter (12) that is lucid dreamer. How can I as a parent help her develop her skills and understand this so unic talent she has?

For a beginner, her choices are several.

You could learn various techniques and methods, but really the best thing is to focus on the absolute basics first. This means things like reality checks, meditation, dream journalling and being critical of your surroundings. Look around you several times a day and REALLY question whether you’re dreaming or awake.

This takes some dedication because the default response is to just ‘assume’ you’re awake or that you already know. Pretend it’s like a game, and you’re REALLY trying to work out if you’re being fooled by a simulation or not. After a while, you’ll have a lucid dream.

It might take a few days, few weeks etc. It will happen, if you keep going with these habits. You can then also try a technique like the wake induced lucid dream or the wake back to bed, but for most beginners these don’t really help all that much. The main ‘technique’ is just self awareness and dream journalling. That will get you 80% of the way there!

Why is there a Need to Control dreams ? It should be boundless.

I'm not quite sure what you mean. Being able to guide and control them means you can decide what to dream about, which is awesome!

Though not being taken seriously by modern science, how much truth do you see in the Freudian interpretation of dreams?

It's tricky.

For the most part, your dreams mean what YOU understand them to mean. It depends on your personality, and your specific character traits, because although you can read an analysis of dream signs and meaning on the internet, it only means something if you can relate it to yourself. Dream meaning is a very tricky subject, because dreams are so personal. Sure, I could tell you one thing: But whether that resonates with YOU is another matter.

I have experienced lucid dreaming before (not on purpose), but I find that I always wake up just as I’m starting to make the decisions I want to make or about to do something. Is there a way around this?

If you're waking up too soon, that's almost always due to 'awareness' as a skill. You can improve this by simply meditating more every day, ideally first thing in the morning.

To make lucid dreams last longer when you're actually in them, there are a number of things you can do. Firstly, realise that it's mainly a timing issue. Our REM sleep is the longest just before you wake up, so focus on trying to lucid dream THEN and not at the start of the night.

Then, always make sure to write your dreams down in the morning. This helps your brain WANT to remember them, in the future. To make them longer while you're in them, you can use stabilisation techniques like:

Spinning around on the spot Rubbing your hands together Shouting out 'increase dream length' Trying to engage with aspects of the dream or dream scene Expecting that the dream will last longer

And so on. Hope this helps!

I usually wake up in the morning and have no recollection of any dream from the night prior to the point where I just joke that I don't dream. I have always wanted to lucid dream but I just can't seem to remember/have dreams. What would be a good way to start fixing this?

Edit: I have pretty regular sleep habits, usually 6-8 hours a night and I don't really drink or smoke prior to bed

To improve your dream recall, that is, to remember more dreams, there's a few things you should really do:

1: Just start writing them down every single morning, if you're not already doing this. Spending the extra few minutes to really TRY and remember them, makes a big difference as well

2: Ask your subconscious mind (while lucid) to help you remember more dreams

3: Try and lucid dream mainly in the last part of the night, when your REM sleep stage is the longest. You can do this by using phone alarms to target it, or just by intending to lucid dream at that time

4: Go back over your previous dream journal entries in the evening,and get yourself in the mindset of lucid dreaming every night!

5: Set the strong intention to remember your dreams! Tell yourself 'I will remember my dreams tonight'.

That's a pretty good place to get started!

Interesting topic.

I’ve been struggling with addiction for a while now and am looking for anything new to help. I’ve even started with autosuggestions so you know things are dire haha. Kind of a shot in the dark here but can lucid dreaming contribute in any way to addiction recovery? I don’t mean like an immediate recovery cos if it was that easy no one would have addiction issues, but is there anything you could recommend to help ease the process? Would doing autosuggestions while in-dream help the subconscious adapt quicker? Or maybe I’m way off idk. Thx

For addiction, I would say yes it can much more than likely help.

I believe lucid dreams can and do change peoples lives in a really important and meaningful way. I've personally had many lucid dreams that have had a lasting impact and changed something or many things about my life and outlook. I think it's almost always positive, as well.

I think the topic of the lucid dreams however, does in a few ways, depend on the person. Some people just want to have sex dreams, or dreams about things that won't really contribute much to your personal and spiritual growth.

In terms of BENEFITS, I think there are many:

Increased confidence Increased creativity and inspiration Subjective but improved sleep (depends a bit) Avoid and guide nightmares into lucid dreams Understand more about your fears and insecurities Visualise and practice things Practice real life skills and actually improve Reunite with lost loved ones There are many benefits!

I have actually tried this with off and on success. Is there any tips you can give while lucid dreaming to help battle the dream state. What I mean is like if you can't see in your dream, picture what you think you would see and it will be. Or I'd you start to wake up, spin in a circle as fast as you can until you stop waking up. I have tried both of this with good success. Are there any other tricks?

To make lucid dreams last longer, there are a number of things you can do. Firstly, realise that it's mainly a timing issue. Our REM sleep is the longest just before you wake up, so focus on trying to lucid dream THEN and not at the start of the night.

Then, always make sure to write your dreams down in the morning. This helps your brain WANT to remember them, in the future. To make them longer while you're in them, you can use stabilisation techniques like:

Spinning around on the spot Rubbing your hands together Shouting out 'increase dream length' Trying to engage with aspects of the dream or dream scene Expecting that the dream will last longer

And so on. Hope this helps!

What are your thoughts (if any) on the film Waking Life, which deals pretty heavily in the subject of dreams and lucidity?

I liked that movie actually. One of the better lucid dreaming movies

What’s your elevator pitch for getting someone to lucid dream?

I believe lucid dreams can and do change peoples lives in a really important and meaningful way. I've personally had many lucid dreams that have had a lasting impact and changed something or many things about my life and outlook. I think it's almost always positive, as well.

I think the topic of the lucid dreams however, does in a few ways, depend on the person. Some people just want to have sex dreams, or dreams about things that won't really contribute much to your personal and spiritual growth.

In terms of BENEFITS, I think there are many:

Increased confidence Increased creativity and inspiration Subjective but improved sleep (depends a bit) Avoid and guide nightmares into lucid dreams Understand more about your fears and insecurities Visualise and practice things Practice real life skills and actually improve Reunite with lost loved ones There are many benefits!

Ok, I have a recurring dream that continues to wake me up from time to time and each time I get just a little further into the dream.

It always starts in the same place but there have been two paths so far. I don’t want to be specific... but how can you stay asleep longer in order to get some type of conclusion??

Recurring dream are a great way to become lucid more often. Start telling yourself 'when I see this dream sign, I will become lucid'. Tell yourself that over and over again and you'll eventually become lucid!

Are you able to control when you want to lucid dream and when want to have regular dreams? How fast or slow does time pass when you lucid dream?

You're not THAT much in control of when you lucid dream. There's a degree of luck involved.

You can not get stuck in a lucid dream, no. The reason this is a common question people have, is that when you’re dreaming, time can feel like it’s slowed down.

It can feel like you’re spending longer or more time in the dream than you really are. This is because your mind is super active during the lucid dreaming state, and so it FEELS like it’s a longer time, for you. But if you were to measure the amount of time you’re spending in the dream, it really isn’t that long at all.

That doesn’t stop people from waking up and FEELING like they were stuck in a lucid dream, because subjectively, they might have been. Or they might have felt like they were. For example, I’ve been lucid dreaming for over a decade and when I get ‘stuck’ in a lucid dream, I know it’s not real but it still feels real.

It still appears to me, in the moment, that I’m stuck and can never escape. But it’s a very rare thing, and the vast majority of lucid dreams do not feel like this.

I am a guy, and often I have wet dreams, which is very annoying. Can lucid dream help it? Thanks for the AMA

Wet dreams or sexual themed dreams are very common. In fact, most people tend to have these sorts of dreams when they first get started. And also, some people have them naturally, without really trying to or knowing why.

It's just a by product of our biological wiring. We're wired to crave certain things, and think about certain things. This is amplified if you're watching arousing content or media with suggestive images or messaging. It's nothing to worry about really.

But if you don't want these sorts of dreams, the answer is going deeper (pun intended) and learning how to have more control over what you dream about, with lucid dreaming. When you have this deeper control, you can just decide not to dream about those things.

Thank you for your answer.

You're welcome! Hope it was helpful

People have to learn this? Thought everyone could do this

Yes, anyone can learn. Will everyone learn? No. Because it takes a fair bit of time and effort. There are skills you have to learn like doing reality checks, meditating, writing your dreams down and being critical of your surroundings. These skills like any skills, take time to hone and perfect.

Not every is WILLING to practice them, especially when you can just buy a VR headset, and skip the learning phase entirely. That being said, lucid dreams are WAY more intense and incredible than a VR headset, so it’s still well worth learning!People who have trouble visualising things, might find it a bit harder than most.

Also if you’re not sleeping well, for example you have a disorder that means you get significantly less REM sleep than the average person, you’ll also find it harder. Not impossible, just harder.

Kids and young people have it easiest, because their sleep cycles and patterns are still relatively healthy and normal (assuming you’re not staying up until 3AM etc).

It sounds like youre one of the lucky ones, who can do it naturally! Is that correct?

Did that answer the question or is there something else you want me to answer?

Can i ask my subcontious for lucid dreams EVERY NIGHT, opening my third eye or anything else big like this? And will lucid dreaming pills make harder to lucid dream if you are not using them. (So working like drugs)

It's very unlikely that someone could lucid dream every single night. There are simply too many variables. The length of your REM sleep, memories, mindset during the day and before bed, temperature and all sorts of other things. It's a combination of practice and luck.

that being said, there are things you can do that will make it more likely, for sure. Doing reality checks during the day, writing your dreams down and setting a strong intention to lucid dream really make a big difference.

Do people ever change their life in a meaningful way from lucid dreaming, or does it usually just devolve into sex dreams? Also, I cant ever get off while dreaming. I guess if lucid could fix that, it would be a meaningful change.

Did that answer the question or is there something else you want me to answer?

I wrote almost all of my college papers in my dreamscape.

That's awesome! Yeah dreamscapes can be used for all kinds of interesting things!

I believe lucid dreams can and do change peoples lives in a really important and meaningful way. I've personally had many lucid dreams that have had a lasting impact and changed something or many things about my life and outlook. I think it's almost always positive, as well.

I think the topic of the lucid dreams however, does in a few ways, depend on the person. Some people just want to have sex dreams, or dreams about things that won't really contribute much to your personal and spiritual growth.